The Role of Women in Technology and How to Encourage Young Girls to Enter the Field
Poster Number
047
College
College of Business Administration
Department
Computer Science & Quantitative Methods
Abstract
Women have been underrepresented in technology since the introduction of the field. In the past, women were not thought to be as capable as men in science, technology, engineering, and math. Though more people today think that women and men are equally capable to perform these jobs, women are still outnumbered by men in the technology industry, with less than 20% of bachelor’s degrees in computer science being earned by women. Even fewer of those women who earned a degree in computer science remain in the technology workforce. The purpose of this research is to determine ways in which young girls can be encouraged to pursue the field of technology by identifying commonalities among women in tech as to what encouraged them along the way. This research was conducted by interviewing women at different stages of their technology careers to determine ways in which young girls can be encouraged to pursue the field of technology. Additionally, a literature review was conducted to supplement the interview data. The expectation of this study is that there will be one or more common factors among the women interviewed that relate to what drew them to technology. These similar encouragements may result from motivating teachers or parents, or perhaps from the negative comments spoken by influential adults.
Honors Thesis Committee
Chlotia Garrison, Ph.D.; Bryan McFadden, M.S.; and Kristen Abernathy, Ph.D.
Start Date
12-4-2019 2:15 PM
End Date
April 2019
The Role of Women in Technology and How to Encourage Young Girls to Enter the Field
Richardson Ballroom – DiGiorgio Campus Center
Women have been underrepresented in technology since the introduction of the field. In the past, women were not thought to be as capable as men in science, technology, engineering, and math. Though more people today think that women and men are equally capable to perform these jobs, women are still outnumbered by men in the technology industry, with less than 20% of bachelor’s degrees in computer science being earned by women. Even fewer of those women who earned a degree in computer science remain in the technology workforce. The purpose of this research is to determine ways in which young girls can be encouraged to pursue the field of technology by identifying commonalities among women in tech as to what encouraged them along the way. This research was conducted by interviewing women at different stages of their technology careers to determine ways in which young girls can be encouraged to pursue the field of technology. Additionally, a literature review was conducted to supplement the interview data. The expectation of this study is that there will be one or more common factors among the women interviewed that relate to what drew them to technology. These similar encouragements may result from motivating teachers or parents, or perhaps from the negative comments spoken by influential adults.
